DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „American Ethnic Humor in Prime Time Animation, Comedy Film, and Television Sketch Comedy― Verfasserin Katrin Al Jezany Angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag.phil.) Wien, 2013 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Diplomstudium Anglistik und Amerikanistik Betreuerin: Privatdozentin Mag. Dr. Astrid M. Fellner HINWEIS Diese Diplomarbeit hat nachgewiesen, dass die bretreffende Kandidatin befähigt ist, wissenschafltliche Themen selbständig sowie inhaltlich und methodisch vertretbar zu bearbeiten. Da die Korrekturen der Beurteilenden nicht eingetragen sind und das Gutachten nicht beiliegt, ist daher nicht erkenntlich, mit welcher Note diese Arbeit abgeschlossen wurde. Das Spektrum reicht von sehr gut bis genügend. Es wird gebeten, diesen Hinweis bei der Lektüre zu beachten. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank everyone who has provided me with support and encouragement throughout my research. Words cannot express how much I appreciate what you all have done for me, but I will try to sum up my thoughts and gratefulness. Foremost, I would like to express my immense gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Astrid Fellner for giving me the opportunity to do this project on the topic of American Ethnic Humor. Her support, kindness, and extreme patience helped me throughout the process of writing of this thesis. I can not imagine having a better supervisor for my research. In addition, I would like to thank my examiner Prof. Dr. Carmen Birkle for her guidance, as well as for going above and beyond her duties as a professor by travelling from Germany to Vienna to examine me. I am also thankful to my family, especially my mother Marija Al Jezany for never having doubt in me, as well as her constant support, motivation, and encouragement to complete this paper. My father, Hussain Al Jezany who has rendered financial support at all times for the successful completion of my thesis, as well as my studies. Last but not least I would like to thank my friends and everyone else who helped me gather information, stimulate new ideas, learn through shared advice and knowledge, fine-tune my arguments with their editing skills, and guide me from time to time in bringing this project to fruition. With deep appreciation, Katrin Al Jezany TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 INTRO TO THE MAKING OF THIS PAPER .......................................................................... 3 AMERICAN HUMOR .................................................................................................. 5 DEFINITION AND FUNCTION OF HUMOR .......................................................................... 5 THEORIES OF HUMOR .................................................................................................. 7 ETHNICITY ................................................................................................................. 9 ETHNIC HUMOR AND SOCIAL LAUGHTER ...................................................................... 11 HUMOR AND ITS FUNCTIONS ...................................................................................... 12 CULTURAL CODE ...................................................................................................... 17 AMERICAN IDENTITY .................................................................................................. 19 THE IMPORTANCE OF AMERICAN HISTORY ................................................................... 22 DEMOCRACY ............................................................................................................ 23 VIOLENCE IN HUMOR ................................................................................................. 24 HUMOR IN MEDIA AND ITS FUNCTION IN AMERICAN FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY ........ 26 TELEVISION.............................................................................................................. 28 SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE ......................................................................................... 31 SNL BEHIND THE SCENES ......................................................................................... 31 THE ROLE OF THE AUDIENCE ..................................................................................... 33 POLITICAL HUMOR AND SATIRE ON AND OFF THE SHOW ................................................ 34 POLITICS IN SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE AND ITS INFLUENCE ............................................... 38 CHRIS ROCK AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF ―ONE NATION UNDER GOD‖ .............................. 40 CHRIS ROCK‘S INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN ETHNIC HUMOR ........... 41 THE COLD OPEN – ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE .......................................................... 44 AND THE NOMINEES ARE… ........................................................................................ 46 BUSH AGAINST THE WORLD ....................................................................................... 49 OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM AND THE SYMBOLISM OF ANIMALS ................................. 51 RACIAL DISCRIMINATION ............................................................................................ 52 PUBLIC PERSONAS ................................................................................................... 54 FAMILY GUY ............................................................................................................ 57 TABOOS FOR OTHERS, A CHALLENGE FOR MACFARLANE .............................................. 57 ANIMATION+DOMESTIC+SITCOM = ANIMATED DOMESTICOM KNOCKING DOWN TABOOS .. 58 CHILDREN VS. ADULTS, PRIME TIME AND DOUBLE-CODING ............................................ 60 PARODY, SATIRE OR A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH? ................................................................ 63 WHAT‘S TELEVISION GOT TO DO WITH IT?.................................................................... 66 ADVERTISEMENT – YOU SCRATCH MY BACK AND I‘LL SCRATCH YOURS .......................... 68 NUCLEAR ―DYSFUNCTIONAL‖ FAMILY ........................................................................... 70 R-E-S-P-E-C-T ....................................................................................................... 73 BRAIN DAMAGED HORSES CAUSE HOMOSEXUALITY ...................................................... 74 GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ITS RELIGIOUS DIMENSION ................................................... 78 ABSURDITY OVER THE TOP ........................................................................................ 82 POP-CULTURAL REFERENCES .................................................................................... 82 THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY .................................................................. 85 WHAT IS IT ABOUT MARY? ........................................................................................ 85 SHORT PLOT............................................................................................................ 88 GOOD COMEDY OR BAD TASTE? ................................................................................ 88 SLAPSTICK .............................................................................................................. 90 GROSS-OUT COMEDY ............................................................................................... 92 BODY AND SLAPSTICK .............................................................................................. 95 WHY ARE HOMOSEXUAL STEREOTYPES FUNNY? ....................................................... 100 TREATMENT OF ANIMALS ........................................................................................ 101 DISABILITY AS A LAUGHING MATTER ......................................................................... 104 POLITICAL CORRECTNESS ....................................................................................... 108 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 111 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... 114 VIDEO SOURCES .................................................................................................... 114 PRIMARY SOURCES ................................................................................................ 114 SECONDARY INTERNET SOURCES ............................................................................ 122 INDEX ..................................................................................................................... 124 APPENDIX 1 .......................................................................................................... 126 APPENDIX 2 .......................................................................................................... 127 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ 129 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG .......................................................................................... 130 CURRICULUM VITAE ............................................................................................ 131 EDUCATION ........................................................................................................... 131 Introduction One society permits, indeed welcomes, critical humor; another restricts, indeed represses, particular forms of comedy.